Looking North: Classroom engagements into the relevance and context of a rapidly changing Arctic
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Arctic studiesArctic ecosystem
Arctic voices
Arctic importance
globalization
decolonization
extractive economies
climate crisis
Arctic
geographysocial studies
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We need to save the Arctic not because of the polar bears, and not because it is the most beautiful place in the world, but because our very survival depends upon it.—Lewis Gordon Pugh, as quoted in Mead (Citation2022) The Arctic is emerging as an increasingly relevant and rapidly changing region of the world. A changing climate has brought increased attention to the dynamic and strategic nature of the North, but the Arctic has always been a homeland to a variety of distinct cultures and a unique ecosystem. Arctic imaginaries of an untouched and wild North continue to flourish in common discourse perpetuating colonized notions of this place. The way we imagine the North matters as we grapple with complex issues of interdependence, globalization, decolonization, extractive economies, and climate crisis. This article presents resources for an inquiry unit in which students analyze the question, “Why does the Arctic matter?” to construct an argument. Supporting questions, formative performance tasks, and primary source material are included to scaffold student inquiry. This inquiry is designed for secondary students and has been aligned to geography standards from the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards (Swan Citation2017). An inquiry design model blueprint has been included in Figure 1. Students are invited to challenge common notions of the North and to engage in thinking about the relevance of the Arctic regions while exploring examples of international cooperation and a variety of cultures through primary and secondary source documents. The emerging and accelerating unique challenges of the region make it worthy of our collective attention and exposure for students within and far beyond the Arctic.Table of Contents
Approaching area studies -- Defining the Arctic -- Arctic global and strategic importance -- Arctic voices and cooperation - Arctic as homeland -- Arctic as a globally important ecosystem -- Conclusion -- Additional resources -- Additional information -- ReferencesDate
2024-03-06Publisher
Taylor & Francis OnlineType
ArticlePeer-Reviewed
YesCitation
Alvey, E. (2024). Looking North: Classroom engagements into the relevance and context of a rapidly changing Arctic. The Geography Teacher, 21(3), 113-118. https://doi.org/10.1080/19338341.2024.2353561Collections
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